Simple Swedish Podcast - #321 - Historien om IKEA

Episode Date: March 30, 2026

A1-B2 IKEA — ett av Sveriges internationellt mest kända varumärken. Men hur började allt? I det här avsnittet berättar jag historien om IKEA och dess grundare Ingvar Kamprad, mannen från Småland som startade ett företag vid 17 års ålder och revolutionerade hela möbelindustrin.   Bli poddssupporter och få: ✅ Transkribering med ordlista för svåra ord ✅ Quiz med frågor för att testa din förståelse ✅ Tvåspråkig transkribering med engelsk översättning ✅ Community med andra som lär sig svenska 👉 Klicka här för en 7 dagars gratis provperiod

Think you that you besteller a taxi and you Setster you in taxi and say, well, where you will. And taxi chauffeurer, look at you and ask, okay, how come I And you're going to get can you tell how you come there?

What? What? I'm going to I'm about taxi-shofer how

you're coming to destination yeah it. But exactly this

was Ikeas affairs idea. Also that the Cund It's then,

it's really So, yeah, gettonset but Ikea are a of an,

yeah, it is a a grandgons saga in entrepreneurship and this we

talk about today. And I will first say that you can have transcribering

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Laura Joel, Eva, Devicl and Paypey. So, And thank to you for that you Stodge the podden.

And, yeah, so IKEA. It is, you, one of the world's sturdens sturdier, or one of the world's bestest mubel chedior. And, yeah,

they come with a little of an revolution in the worldbrancher. Yeah, thank-were this concept

that you're the most of the the world. So, it's IKEA in 62 lenders. Over the whole world, there are 460 IKEA varu-house in the world. And the largest the house is actually in South Korea, a gigantist IKEA varu-house.

It's a little unwonted that the Sturst is in South Korea, but so is it. And Ikea cataloging, also the

cartelogen, where you can see all mubler and so, it's not longer, actually. They la near

cataloging for a few years ago, but that cataloging has been tripped in more

exemplar than Biben Okay, so so then then you're saying often that Bible

is the world's most lest book, but Ikea cataloging is actually

more less than Bible, or in all fall trikt

in more exemplar. And we have you other things that

that as cutbulls. All know that you can eat cutbulls on IKEA and it has been a cultural symbol

in say. But how started all this? Jo, it here began with a man

who had Ingvar Camprad. Ingvar Cambrad he fudd 1926. in Smoland. And Smoland is in Sondra

Sweden. And, yeah, he was, he was, he was, he was, not a rich person. And he was,

like, quite fat, fatit, that you're not much money. So, fat, it was a little hard,

a little hard, life so. But he was entrepreneur already as a man. He began to sell tendsticcour as five-year. Yeah, tendsticcour, it are the

small stickers that you're with. So now for the time, I'm tendare more, but then, then, you know, And he used tendsticcour. So he sold ten stickers, and he started

Ikea when he was about 17 years. So there we have a real entrepreneur. So, 19443, started he IKEA. And IKEA sold it

not all's moubler from from the beginning. He sold a lot of different things, small things to penner,

cloccockor, strumpor and he sold them on post. So he people shicked

bestellings to him and he he skickered these these varor to So it was like a

Ferdag that sold small things on post order whole whole lot of course. But quite he started he to sell mubler and

yeah some years later so then they opened them the here the

visings room so a room where you can come and look at the mubler. And that opened he 1953.

So it was in the beginning of 50thal. And the cataloging started to trycass also somewhere

there, 1951 was it actually first IKEA catalog and yeah so now could people come

to Elmhult, as the byn so they could come to Elmhult and look at them and look atler also. And some years after that, then come

this right the real revolution when Ingvar started with the idea that that the customers should

buy their own mubler. But first I'll tell I'm about the name

IKEA. So why it Ikea? So Ikea are an so-called acronym

bookstever I K-E-A It is first and first and fremst Ingvar

Camprad It is also his initialer I.K for Ingvar Camperad. Then E. Come from Gorden. He waksted up on Elmtarid.

So Elmtarid, he's the gordon, so he was Gorden, so Agunarid. It was the name on byn, there he was up. So it is, all just, his name and the place he wretched up on. Ikea. So, as said, there on 50thal, the beginning of

50thal, so he started this hisingsroom. And he saw that people had problem

to get in mubler in the building. So it was a problem with transport

and it was, it was it's difficult to transporter mubler.

And he I thought, hmm, if I can erbueda plattapacket, so that it will let us to last in in in the bill and transporter. So he came with idea that, okay, we let the customers monterer

moublenna and so can we sell plattapaket and it will be much billier and this this is a revolution

in mubel industry for he did he could both to lose logistic problem and sell mubler

much billier both of these in same weva so it It was billed and practically. And this this made that

the mubelbrancher in Sweden, those other companies who sold them them boycotted IKEA for that

it was, IKEA sold moubler for billit so they were no, we boycotted IKEA

Ingen Fere To IKEA So Ikea They got problem With leverances For that it was Boycott

Like that But like Ingvar He lost it He hitted Heitted Heitts Outtolans

And in Denmark, in Poland And Furtaget Furtigate to Vexha And

An An another an important of the this this

this was the restaurant for Ingvar he saw that the

the the but then they went they they went to

he to lunch so he he he he if

if we up an restaurant in the barhuset so

so so so, so, come the people stand here and they have time to

buy more and they come to be metta and belotna and not hungry and maybe

maybe and they feel more and they're more nought and and so and it

also. And it also an, a, a, a, yeah, a big deal

of IKEA's grandgones recipe for now now has you

restaurant has a deal of the whole up up

with to go to Ike for to go to Ikea

it is not just just to go there to go and

go home No, no, to go to Ikea is a whole upleveless you're a whole upleveless.

You're not actually not even a family uplevance or a par. You can have

an IKEA date, you know with your partner and you go first on overvoning

and go through all these rooms. And you can go in in the room and and uplever different room and design and follow

the pilarna on the market on the golf. And like you follow, you go around in the whole, you look at all thing

and you and you anteckner, what you should buy. You bestem what you You're going to You're going to You're

Then You go to The restaurant And you're at lunch There are There are There are

There are There are Typist Swedish Mat and And other things And it's

Billit Yeah All Gills Well that It is Billit And then

Have you Aat Mat You are Mett and belotent, you have new energy, and then go to under-vonings, and there go through everything, and you

you're letting things in the car vangener, and you're going everything, and you go much more than you planar it. Have you been on IKEA and just bought what you planned to buy, to to buy, that I don't, I think I don't, but I think that, I think that every time you're going to

Ikeye, so you're always more than what you planar it. So it is, you, tack-were, the, this, the generalist-designed uplevels, that you go and look and look at, you're, you're, you're, man,

and then go, and, you're, and I'm, and And you're going to buy everything. So. And an another puzzle bit is so clear that, okay,

it is an uplevance, it is a good upleg on everything. But it is also

a nice design. So, design is you a good design. So it

is both billit and Snyct and modern And I think it is something with this, it's a kind of typical

Scandinavish design It's quite minimalistic, easy, many natural fernier and so and I think that it's a, it's a

good concept for that it's just be, being billed and nice,

and they're same design that's they're all out, or in so every year

they're they're they're there's always there's always new things

that are much dearer but it there always the basic

varan that see good out and are billed and it is same design every gong, every year, all the

different lenders. The best example is maybe bookhullan that's called Billy. So there is a bookhilla that's Billy.

It came out in 1979 and then sell them still. They have sold 40 million billy

bookhillers. So it's also a deal of the progress for IKEA. And they've

they've to expand to other lenders so the first boutique out for

Sweden it was 1963 and it was in Norie so Not so long from

And, yeah, they've continued expander. And little interesting also

is the personen Ingvar Camprad. So he did for not yet long since,

he dug 2018 he was 91 year and he was so-clair and he was

so-clier- one of the richest personer in the really, yet, yet rich. But he was chained for to live quite sparshamt

and so he he spender not much money, he walked economy class on the flight, he ate lunch on IKEA,

actually. So, and it It's also kind of typical Svenst. That you

want not not will not that you are really a great. And it's

also a small-lensk stereotype. For there is a stereotype that small-lanning

are snola. At what snol that you want to spender much

money like, to example Joaqu von Anke, He's a snole. But it's just a stereotype. I would say that it's

certainly not. But it's still a little really really funning and he was a son person who was very sparsome and it's a little so stereotypist. And one little detail to is the name on IKEA.

So it's you name on right places. of the Swedish word. So it is so clear to go there on Ikea as a Swedish for that you see

these these are the same name on things and it's so-clart it's quite it's quite it for all

other but for us see it very normal out so it's a little a little

a little a little a little a little merckly up to go to Ikea in outlandet, also, out of Sweden.

I come to know I, first time I was on IKEA outland, it was in Perth, in Australia. And I think it was really, kind of, haughtyptit for that, wow, a mass of Swedish words. They have, you, There are some Svanska

Saker Also Sventska Bucquer to example in bookhuller there. It's

there so you can take a book and and read and it is also a little

mackly and then you go to the little buticen where they seller

Svanska matvors and I usually I can gopher Giffler, it's the biggest I'm always

Gifler Then I'm maybe I'm I'm maybe I'm I'm I'm sure

Caviar It's not here in Valencia on Ikea But it is Jortron Sylt Jortron's

is very very mumsit and there is also a slacks Sands

sauce, which is good to have on fish, so that can I recommender a sauce with senap and dill and so. A little tips on what can buy in the boutique in

the Swedish mat boutique. So, yeah, it was the story about IKEA. So, what What do you about

IKEA? Have you not special a minute from Ikea? Have you

some IKEA moubler home with you have you can commenter

if you are pod supporter can you commenter the and you discuss

with each other I'll I'm a link in the description

and so So hope I that it was an interesting offsnit. Thank for me. So we're soon. Again.